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To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

I would like to put together a guest book of sorts....not sure just yet what to call it or how to format it ...I'm looking for inspiration considering the hopeful responses to this thread....

What I want is feedback on a couple of areas.

1. If you have moved from Maryland and want to know:

a) Why you moved and where you have moved to
b) How you are accepted in your adopted community as a Ravens fan
c) Where you go to watch Ravens games

2. If you are a Ravens fan but have never lived in Maryland...

a) Where do you live?
a1) Why are you a Ravens fan?
b) When did you become one?
c) Who did you root for prior to being a Ravens' fan?
d) How you are accepted in your community as a Ravens fan
e) Where you go to watch Ravens games?

Thanks...for your anticipated responses. This could lead to some other fun things on 24x7.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

Hey Tony,
I was relocated by my company down here to Panama City Beach Florida in February of last year, I didn't really have a choice but living at the beach isn't so bad. Pro football here in NW Florida kinda takes a back seat to the colleges (Florida, FSU, Alabama, and Auburn are king here) and even high school. As a matter of fact, the local sports covers high school, colleges, then the pros in that order. So people treat Ravens fans rather indifferently, but when at a sports bar watching the games, there's some good-natured jabbing going on since there are fans of EVERY team here.

There are only a couple Ravens fans down here, and they are mostly Baltimore transplants like myself. There are several sports bars down here that carry all the games. The best is probably Pineapple Willy's, which lots of big screens, great food and its right on the beach. Others include Hammerhead Freds, Frankie D's, Time Out!, and the Calypso. The Calypso has good food (Cajun) but unfortunately is a Steeler bar. I went there once for a Ravens game but probably won't go back unless its offseason.

I still have my PSL and buy my tickets. I sell most of them (to a Ravens Roost member so only Ravens fans sit in my seats) and fly up for a game or two each year.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

Well, I lived in Maryland until I went off to college, which was the 2000 season....college in Cleveland. Not the best time to be a Ravens fan. Now, I'm in Champaign-Urbana IL for more school, and if things continue like they have been now, I'll be in Chicago indefinitely.

The community here as a whole has a pretty wide acceptance of football tastes, being a college town. We're about 1/2 between chicago and indy in terms of geography (1.75 hours west of indy, 2 hours south of chicago). Overwhelmingly Bears fans, though a lot of my buddies from school are Steelers fans, couple Bengals fans. I know of one person that roots for the Colts and he doesn't particularly care that much about them.

Generally speaking, I'm pretty accepted as a Ravens fan and not really hated. I'll get the typical "murderer" rips, but after Tank Johnson lived up to his name, Bears fans have shut up about it pretty much.

Surprisingly the guys I get along with best are Steeler fans, I think of out mutual respect for the teams...well and they kind of had to be nice this year. I've gotten a fair amount of Bears fans to like the Ravens because, let's face it, if you like watching defense, then you're going to enjoy the bears and the ravens. I felt terrible for Bears fans when Tommy Harris went down. That pretty much single-handedly ended their chances, they didn't believe me until everyone started being able to run on them. There is also the Urlacher-Lewis debate, but when I show video of Ray in his prime they don't press the point.

I have to go to bars to watch games if I can get someone to go with me unless it's a sunday late game or somehow we're playing indy or the bears. I get NFC north coverage or the AFC south if there are off games....that's probably why all of the AFC north guys get along since we all go to the same bar together because it's one of the few places to see the games.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

Well, I'm a college student in Brasília, Brazil. My father is a diplomat, and in 2002 he was transferred to DC, and I went to visit him in the summer, and a few times after that. He didn't live in DC per se, however, his house was in Bethesda, MD. So while I haven't technically live there, I have spent many months there.

As to why I became a Ravens fan, I'm not really sure. For some reason, I've always felt this sort of bond to the city of Baltimore, and have always been sympathetic to their teams and stuff. My dad's an Oriole fan, but I think that's more because there didn't use to be a team in DC until recently. He's a Redskins fan...

I don't have much recollection of life prior to the Ravens' coming into existence, given that I was 10 when that happened, but I do remember liking the Jets on the Madden game I had gotten during the Christmas I spent in DC visiting my godmother

Over here there isn't much of a football community. There are some dudes who play every weekend, but I haven't played with them (yet). The last two Super Bowls, I went to TGI Friday's, and the whole team went there, they reserved the outside part and got big-screen TVs and all. They were pretty awesome. Outside of those two games, I've only seen games on my TV. However, football is growing at a spectacular rate here in Brazil, especially due to the terrific job the two new guys at ESPN have been doing. I'm sure soon enough there will be places to go to watch games

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

a) I live in Pennsylvania and have never lived in MD.
a1) I root for the Ravens because I've always rooted for the Baltimore professional teams, I just never felt a connection with either Philly or Pittsburgh to root for their teams.
b) I watched games since they came to Bmore in '96, but didn't really become a true "fan" until I attended a game in '99.
c) I was never a big NFL fan to begin with, I grew up rooting for Penn State, and I still prefer college football to the NFL, but I do enjoy following and rooting for the Ravens.
d) I honestly have no idea, I have a mis-mash of friends: 1 Eagles, 2 Redskins, 1 other Ravens, and 1 that doesn't care about the NFL.
e) I mainly watch the games in my home, I'm not big on "sports bars". I enjoy watching the games mainly by myself so I can concentrate on teh actual game and not hear assinine opinions.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

1a. I moved out of Baltimore for work reasons in May 2000 and have lived in New England (Maine and Massachusetts) ever since. My wife and I bought a business and we live on Cape Cod now.
1b. I am accepted amid the hordes of Patriots fans out of respect for our defense - plenty of Pats fans told me last month that they were not looking forward to playing us in Baltimore for the AFC Title - too bad it never happened!
1c. Until I got DirecTV last year, I went to a local sports bar to watch the games - I made friends with the owner, who is a mega-Bears fan, and was able to score my own private TV every Sunday so I could yell at the TV and eat and drink on my own terms. I got plenty of wierd looks because of my old Ray Lewis jersey, but didn't care. I was tired of not having a TiVo when I watched the Ravens (I like to watch specific plays and formations a few times during the game and on Mondays), so last summer I sprung for the satellite with TiVo and now I yell for the Ravens with my 2.5 year-old daughter in our matching Ed Reed jersies - much better.

Thanks for asking the question - if it wasn't for the internet, and NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV - I would be stuck in a bar every weekend!

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

-I became a Ravens fan because it is a combination of my two favorite things; Edgar Allen Poes poetry and NFL football. (Now another Ravens message board gets to laugh at me)

-The day they became the Ravens.

-This is a tough one. I grew up an Auburn fan, but after playing in college I really couldn't see the point of cheering for a school that I didn't go to. A couple of years after they told me not to play anymore the Ravens showed up. Natural fit.

-Joking answer: I'm 6'2, 315# and have an unhealthy obsession with really big swords. Like Master Card I'm accepted everywhere.
Honest answer: Once we get to the point I actually care if someone accepts me they know me well enough that the fact I cheer for a NFL team in a city/state I've never been to because I enjoy reading some dead guys poetry really doesn't seem that strange.
My best friend doesn't care about the NFL (Bama fan) while my closest "Sports buddies" are two Eagles fans and a whole lot (and I mean a WHOLE FREAKING LOT) of Alabama fans. Usually we help cheer each others teams on.

-My house. My In-Laws got me DirectTV for Christmas in '99 and bless that little gray dish it's only let me down for one game. In all fairness a huge tree crushed that little gray dish so I'll forgive it.

"A moron, a rapist, and a Pittsburgh Steeler walk into a bar. He sits down and says, “Hi I’m Ben may I have a drink please?”
ProFootballMock

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

2)

a) Live in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, but currently studying Ecology with Biology in Norwich.

a1) I'm a Ravens fan because they were a new team when I started following the NFL on channel 4 in the UK in 1996. I thought that a new fan would go well with a new team. However due to not having the internet until much later I wasn't able to follow the team even remotely closely until the Superbowl season (very good/fortunate timing )

b) 1996 but not closely until 2000 and then really closely in the 2002 season when we had the youngest team in league history.

c) I didn't, though I did flirt with the 49ers (still have a soft spot) and Cowboys before settling on the Ravens.

d) I've managed to convert a fair few people at University to American Football and the Ravens and people no longer see it as the illegitimate love child of the two codes of rugby.

e) Via the internet and on TV on Sky Sports when we're on and I can get to a house with Sky.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

I grew up in College Park but went to college at Indiana University. I wanted to get away from home and IU has a great business school. Plus I have some family out here. (That was enough to overcome the Colts being here).

I ended up getting a job out here and other than 2 years back in Columbia, I've been here ever since. I now work for IU and love the slower pace of Bloomington. Despite that, there's still a lot to do thanks to it being a college town.

I'm the only Ravens fan I know here. People are really nice in general here so I don't get a lot of crap about being a Ravens fan, even after the Colts beat us in the playoffs. I'm not shy about my feelings on the Colts and once I share our side of the story people usually tell me how they just wanted a team and even wanted a new name.

I have DIRECTV solely to watch the Ravens and Orioles. Other than when my brother visits from Maryland or if I'm actually at a game, I watch the games alone. For the most part I don't like to watch the games with other people because I'm too moody and short-fused during the games.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

Hi Tony, I'm fairly new to the board but, visit religiously and think that its a great vehicle to keep in touch. As born and bred Dundalkian (Dundalker?) I could not get along without it. Your info sir:

a) Why you moved and where you have moved toMoved to Palm harbor Florida because the manufacturing at the Defense contractor that I work for was moved to Florida.
b) How you are accepted in your adopted community as a Ravens fanTreated with indifference by the Buc's fans on the whole. I mean there really is no connection since they are NFC. It was kind of nice that the Ravens gave them a beat down right out of the box though. The trouble is that most of the people in the community aren't from Florida. I run into alot of Steeler and Brown fans because most of the transplants are from the northeast.
c) Where you go to watch Ravens games.If the game is not televised, and thanks to regional coverage it rarely is I usually listen to ESPN radio, I don't really get to a bar to watch the games.

Re: To Ravens' Fans Outside of Maryland

a) Where do you live?
a1) Why are you a Ravens fan?
b) When did you become one?

Richmond VA, originally from Harrisburg PA
My whole father's side of the family is from Baltimore. I've been raised a Balt fan...a Colts fan though they moved when I was about 7, Orioles fan, Ravens fan when they moved to Balt.

c) Who did you root for prior to being a Ravens' fan?

49ers. The first NFL game I actually watched was a 49ers game. I watched the Colts with my dad but was too young to actually pay attention. I was young when I saw the Niners, but they won and when you're young you root for winners, so they were my team after that. They're still my second fav team.

d) How you are accepted in your community as a Ravens fan

No one other than Ravens fans like the Ravens. It's about as expected.